Christmas Ball
by mysweetcupcake
Summary: After the events of the 2204 movie (and my other story), before the Tracy family can enjoy a family Christmas, they first have to endure the annual Tracy Industries Christmas Ball. Will Abby be able to change the boys' mind on this form of 'torture? Christmas fluff! Merry Christmas everyone! xx


**It's almost Christmas! Yay! I haven't forgotten about my other story don't worry but I seem to have writers block at the moment and this idea popped into my head at like ten o'clock last night, demanding to be written. It's kind of a follow up to my other story which uses Abigail Tracy as the youngest but you shouldn't have to read that first. I really hope you enjoy it - please review and tell me what you think. If you don't like fluff then this probably isn't the story for you though. Oh and before I forget - don't own them and probably never will own them sigh (unless someone wants to get me an amazing Christmas Present lol). I also don't own the Saturday Night song which is briefly mentioned. **

**I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! xxx**

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"I hate wearing these things!" Gordon moans as he struggles with his tie.

"I second that." Virgil shouts from the bathroom. I roll my eyes. Sometimes, I hate being the oldest. Always having to set a good example for my siblings.

"You think I like dressing up and making small talk with hundreds of pretentious snobs? Trust me, I don't – but we don't have a choice. Dad wants us all there and it's Christmas and it's not for long." Even to my own ears I know that my awful attempt at a motivating speech isn't going to work. It sounds fake even to me. John raises an eyebrow at me.

"Don't. Say. A. Word." I warn him when he opens his mouth. He smirks and turns back to helping Gordon with his tie. I start to mess with my own tie as the distant sounds of laughter filters in through the door.

"Well, at least one of us is enjoying this torture." Virgil mutters, wandering out of the bathroom with his shirt untucked and no tie. I roll my eyes again and resist the urge to groan.

"Virg, where's your tie?"

"In here...somewhere." He says as he starts looking under his bed for the missing tie.

"You have got to be kidding me." I mutter under my breath. Seriously – little brothers – never have them! Unless you want to play nanny for your whole life! Again, laughter filters in from next door and I can't stop the smile seeping onto my face. At one point, I didn't think I'd ever hear my little sister laugh again. Virgil's right, at least she seems to be enjoying herself.

"I wonder if Abby will like the present we've got her." John says, still wrestling with Gordon's tie. "Gordon, what have you done with this thing?"

"I don't know! Like I said, I hate wearing these monkey suits. Anyway, I'm sure she will. You know what Abby's like – she doesn't expect anything."

"Got it!" Virgil suddenly yells, waving a black tie over the edge of the bed. He stands up and this time I can't help but groan. The white shirt that had been pressed neatly was now full of wrinkles – he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed!

"Virgil! You can't wear that shirt now!" I say exasperated walking over to the wardrobe to try and find another shirt for him.

"I don't see why not Scott – it looks OK to me." He says inspecting the wrinkled shirt.

"You know very well why you can't wear it Virg. Here – put this one on and hand me your tie so you don't lose it again." I say, throwing him another white shirt.

"Yes Sir." He says saluting me before running into the bathroom again. Brothers! I tie my shoes up and stand in front of the mirror and smirk at the scene behind me. Gordon was squirming on the bed with John on top of him trying to get his tie to look vaguely normal.

"Gordon stay still!"

"You're tickling me!"

"Am not – and if you would stay still for thirty seconds then we wouldn't have this problem would we?"

"Why do I have to wear this choker anyway?"

"You know why Gordon – it's a formal event, it looks smart and you know Grandma wants a photo of all of us dressed up. You don't want to annoy Grandma do you?"

"No, but you and I both know as soon as the speeches are over, this thing will be off -"

"It won't Gordon – even if I have to staple it to you, the tie is staying tied up, round your neck, the whole night. Understand?"

"Jeez John, sometimes you're worse than Scott." I turn round at this point, raising an eyebrow. My youngest brother knew he'd put his foot in it by the look on his face. Luckily, getting into 'trouble' with big brother meant that Gordon had finally stopped wriggling long enough for John to get his tie firmly on his neck.

"Done!" He said, pushing himself off the bed. Unlike Virgil, John's shirt still seemed to be in one piece which was an amazing feat. "All yours Scott." John said turning and banging on the bathroom door.

"Come on Virg – how long does it take?"

"What did you mean when you said 'worse than Scott' Gordon?" I ask calmly. I swallow down the smirk at the look on my brothers face.

"Erm, nothing Scott?"

"I don't believe you."

"What if I said you're the best big brother in the whole world?"

"Nope – you're not worming your way out of this one little brother."

"What about if I clean One top to bottom after every rescue for a month?" I pause and think about it. I honestly wasn't going to do anything to him in case that damn tie came off again but maybe I should milk this for all it's worth.

"Make it two months and you've got a deal." I say smiling as Gordon nods desperately. "Right then – stand up and let me look at you." He looked rumpled but, unlike Virgil who could actually do his tie up properly, I wasn't spending another fifteen minutes getting Gordon ready again. He'd have to do. John was finishing messing with Virgil's tie, much to his annoyance when someone started pounding on the door.

"Are you boys ready yet? You're worse than girls!"

"Hey I resent that!" Gordon yells back before me and John both hit him upside the head.

"Yeah, dad, we're coming." I call, giving Gordon a _best behaviour _glare that had seemed to work since he was two, pushing all three of my younger brothers out of the door in front of me, grabbing Gordon and Virgil's jackets on the way out. We spill out into the living room and I push the jackets into my brothers arms.

"You said we were worse than girls – where are they?" I ask dad looking round at the empty room.

"I said you were worse than girls – not that the girls were ready." He replied smiling at us. "Not bad boys, not bad."

"Not looking too bad yourself gramps." Gordon said ducking out of the way of dad's hand.

"You're not too old to be grounded you know."

"Oh please ground me – then I don't have to go to this stupid thing."

"In that case then, consider this your punishment."

"Damn." Gordon says, snapping his fingers in mock heartbreak. Before dad and Gordon could bicker anymore, the door to the other bedroom opened. Dad's PA Julie walked out first in a shimmering silver dress and matching chiffon shawl hanging in the crooks of her elbows. Typically, Gordon ruins the moment by wolf whistling.

"Wow Julie." Dad says making Julie smile.

"Now what is that supposed to mean?" She asks, her hands on her hips.

"Er..well..I..." Dad stutters. Before he can embarrass himself further, a small giggle comes from the doorway. I turn and smile. Abby's leaning against the doorway in a pale blue gown. Her hairs been pinned up with only a few loose curls framing her face. Snowflakes danced from her ears as she laughed. What really got me though was how healthy she looked. Since the...accident...she's had permanent bags under her eyes and she's still incredibly thin. You wouldn't know it looking at her now though. She looks exactly how she did before – healthy, happy...normal.

"Close your mouth Gordon, despite popular belief you're not actually a fish." She says walking towards us a little unsteadily in her heels. Since being released from hospital a few months ago, the highest shoes she's worn at home are flip flops. She managed to get most of the way across the room before tripping and falling. With reflexes that come only from being a big brother, John manages to grab her before she falls flat on her face,

"Nice catch." She says, making us all laugh.

"Thank you. You alright."

"I'm fine, I just tripped." John holds his hands up in mock surrender.

"Just checking...you look amazing Abs." She blushes.

"Thanks. Well, actually, thank Julie. She's made me look this good."

"Nonsense sweetheart. I didn't have to do much." Julie glances at the clock on the wall. "Now you lot, lets get a move on. We can't be late to our own Christmas party now can we?" With that, she ushers us out of the door and down to the elevator of Tracy Industries. We walk out of the lift and across the main foyer to the reception hall. I look at Abby and smile at the look of concentration on her face as she tries to stay upright in her heels.

"May I?" I ask, offering her my arm.

"Thanks Scott." She says, looping her arm over mine. With that, the doors open and we walk into the hall where the party is in full swing.

"Wow." Abby whispers, gazing round the room. I have to agree with her. The place looks amazing. In one corner, a large tree, covered in thousands of lights, baubles and tinsel and every branch is covered with fake snow. Wrapped around the gold poles spaced evenly around the entire room, were long garlands, complete with gold painted pine cones and red ribbon. Along one side of the room, behind the poles, was a long table, covered in a white tablecloth and, even from here, you can see the confetti that's been sprinkled underneath the plates of food flashing in the lights. All in all, very Christmassy. I glance down at Abby again and chuckle softly. It's nice to see her looking naturally happy. It's hard to make her genuinely smile anymore. She still suffers from nightmares every night so to see her smile naturally, not forcing it because she feels she has to, to make us feel better, is an amazing feeling. We push our way through the crowds towards the small stage that has been built at the end of the hall. I help Abby up the steps and we stand in a line to one side of the stage as Dad makes his traditional speech. By traditional, I mean Gordon is mouthing every word behind his back making the crowd laugh. Then, he goes off script.

"As you all know. A few months ago, me and my family suffered a terrible blow. We were told that two of our own had been involved in a drunk driving accident and that, while one was fine, needing only a check up and rest, the other would need surgery and might not make it. The two people in question was my second son John and my youngest daughter Abigail and it was Abigail who needed surgery. For a while, it was touch and go as to whether she would make it through her injuries but, as you can see, she did. Both of them did." Applause ripples through the crowd as Abby tries to hide behind me – she's always hated being the centre of attention. When it dies down, Dad continues. "One thing that Abby reminded me though, was how important family is. Now, I'm almost done so don't worry but I have one thing to say to you all. Don't follow the tradition of arguing at Christmas. Spend time with your family and be thankful for what you have, because you never know when the people you love the most, aren't going to be there to argue with anymore. Merry Christmas all of you." He says, turning back to us with tears in his eyes and I know that all of us did too. He walks over to us and wraps Abby in his arms, before pulling us all in as well much to the delight of the crowd. We all break apart and the music starts up again.

"Go on you lot – go have some fun." Dad says, his voice rough. We step down off the stage and Abby makes to go and sit down at one of the tables that have been set up along the side of the hall when Virgil grabs her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asks.

"To sit down Virg, I'm tired." This was something else we were still getting used to. Even though Abby has come so far and looks so normal tonight, she still gets tired extremely easily and, once she's sat down, she tries not to move for a while after, conserving her energy.

"Not tonight." He says. I share Abby's confused look. "Tonight, it's Christmas, and it would be a shame not to show off that pretty dress you're wearing."

"I won't be able to move in the morning. Scratch that, I'll be sleeping here tonight." She says smiling. She knows she's not going to win this one.

"We'll carry you upstairs if we have to but like Dad said, Christmas is a time to spend with your family – and I for one, am not leaving here until you've danced with me."

"Me either." Gordon says.

"I'm not getting out of this one am I?" She says, her smile turning into a full blown grin.

"Nope." Virgil says returning the grin. "May I?" He says offering his arm. She laughs before taking his arm.

"Why of course you may." For the next hour we take it in turns to dance with Abby and refreshing our memory of some old classics – I'm still not sure I was doing Saturday Night right. What surprises me the most is that no one has come up asking us anything about the 'accident.' It's nice, spending time with my siblings. It's not something we get to do often. By the time the buffet finally opened, we were all breathless and starving.

"Abs, why don't you go and grab us a table, I'll get you some food."

"Thanks Scott." She says, bending down to pick up the shoes she'd taken off earlier and making her way back across the floor. After we'd eaten it was time for a Tracy Industries Christmas Tradition. A Secret Santa. Everyone who works here, picks a name out of a hat, buys a present for that person and puts it under the tree. Then, one by one, everyone opens their present at the ball. It probably the funniest part of the night because at this point, most people are drunk. Normally, our names aren't in the hat – for obvious reasons but this year, we (being me and the boys) had decided that we should get involved. So, together, we got Abby a present and put it under the tree. Looking over at her, her head resting on John's shoulder, just like she did up on 5 all those months ago. The only difference between then and now (apart from the fact that none of us could breathe properly, we were all melting and covered in a thousand bruises) was that now, she looked peaceful and happy. Like after everything that's happened to her this year, has finally come to an end and she can move on. Maybe everything is going to be alright after all. After what seems like a year, Abby's name is called out over the microphone and the look on her face is priceless. I get up and take the gift from Julie before walking back over to my sister.

"Just something to let you know how proud we are of you." I whisper to her, squeezing her hand. All eyes are on her as she unwraps the small box and I can feel my heart pounding. I really hope she likes it. She takes out a silver bracelet and, in the middle of it are five coloured gems – blue, green, red, yellow and white. Engraved on the inside are the words _never give up _which seems fitting for Abby.

"Do you like it?" John asks quietly.

"I love it. It's beautiful." She whispers back, holding the bracelet up to the light and smiling as the gems sparkled back at her. Virgil reaches over and takes her arm, snapping the bracelet shut on her wrist. She stares at it for a moment longer before pulling us in for a hug.

"Now I feel bad because I haven't got you guys anything." She says, pulling out of the hug.

"Abby, we don't want anything. You've given us the most amazing gift this year. You." Gordon says. We all stare at him. "What? I can be deep and meaningful!" He says indignantly.

"Yeah, about as deep and meaningful as a puddle." Abby teases, making us all laugh.

"Pick on someone else for a change!" He replies, pulling her in for another hug. We settle back down and watch everyone else open their gifts, laughing at some of the more...creative ones. By the time everyone has finished, Abby and Gordon are falling asleep on each other, as are many other people. I catch Dad's eye and nod as he beckons towards the door. I stand up, motioning to the others to do the same.

"Come on you two, time to go." I pull Abby up, smirking when Gordon falls sideways.

"Oi! A little warning!"

"I told you it was time to go – wasn't that warning enough?"

"No." He says, standing up and brushing a few stray crumbs off his suit. We walk towards the door where Dad's waiting, Abby leaning on me because she's wearing those stupid shoes again. Her words, not mine. We travel up to the pent house in silence, all of us half asleep. It takes us all a moment to realise that the elevators stopped and we stumble down the corridor and into the living room.

"Go on you lot. Bed." None of us are arguing with that. We all say goodnight and head off to our rooms. I get changed out of my monkey suit as Gordon calls it and go to check on Abby. I hold back a laugh when I see her. She managed to get changed out of her dress into her pyjamas, but the dress never made it back to the hanger – it's been left on the floor in a blue heap. I pick it up and put it over the back of the chair. She's unpinned her hair and a mass of curls are covering her face. I'm surprised she even made it to the bed to be honest. She's collapsed on the mattress, the covers pulled back earlier. I shake my head and go to tuck her in properly. She's so exhausted she doesn't even stir. A glint of silver catches my eye. She's still wearing her bracelet. I smile and unclip it gently, putting it on the cabinet next to her bed.

"Thanks Scott." A sleep filled voice says. I look down in surprise. Her eyes aren't even half open but she's smiling.

"Thanks for what honey?"

"For being the best big brother ever. And for looking after me." She whispers, turning on her side and burrowing further under the covers. I smile softly and bend down to kiss her goodnight.

"You're welcome Abby." I say, tucking a loose curl behind her ear before turning the lamp off and going to bed myself.

Being the oldest can be a pain, but I'd never change it. Not for anything. With that final thought, I close my eyes and fall asleep myself.


End file.
